Those of us craving better battery life from our mobile devices could see help from an Apple invention outlined in a patent application.

Published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent dubbed "Power management for electronic devices" suggests key ways to save or reduce the power consumed by your phone or tablet.

Your mobile device could monitor its own activity throughout the day to determine when and for how long you charge it, how far you travel for your commute, and if and when you're able to charge it throughout the day. As such, it could then reserve battery power by automatically turning off or decreasing certain functions, such as regular e-mail fetching or the brightness of the display.

The activity would be stored as a power management scheme that could then be used on a regular basis. The goal is to make sure your current battery charge lasts until you can recharge your device.

Such an invention would be of the greatest benefit to mobile phones, but Apple lists other devices, such as a laptop, gaming device, and digital music player.

The power management scheme outlined in the patent application could also adjust itself on the fly depending on your proximity to a charging station or as your power consumption changes. Multiple schemes could also be stored on the device.

Battery life has always been one of the major complaints of mobile users, especially those who travel frequently. It's not unusual to fully charge your device in the morning, use it heavily throughout the day, and then see it totally depleted before the day is over. This is one patent application that Apple needs to turn into reality.